TWENTY-ONE DAYS IN INDIA Or, The Tour Of Sir Ali Baba K.C.B. and THE TEAPOT SERIES by GEORGE R. ABERIGH-MACKAY Sometime Principal of the Rajkumar College Indore Ninth Edition with New Illustrations and Elucidations 1914 [Illustration: THE TRAVELLING M.P.--"The British Lion rampant."] PUBLISHERS' PREFACE In this edition it has been considered advisable to reproduce, verbatim, only the "Twenty-one Days" as originally published in _Vanity Fair_, the additional series of six included in several editions of the book issued after the Author's death being omitted. The twenty-one papers in question have been supplemented by contributions to _The Bombay Gazette_, which appeared in that daily newspaper during the whole of the year 1880, the year before the Author's death, under the _nom de plume_ of "Our Political Orphan;" and the Publishers beg to tender their best thanks to the proprietors of that newspaper for the permission thus generously accorded for their present reproduction. In carrying out the work of revision many passages previously omitted have been restored to the text. To render such readily apparent to the reader, they have in every case been enclosed in [] brackets. A new series of illustrations has been specially prepared for this edition by Mr. George Darby of Calcutta, and the Publishers venture to think he has succeeded in a marked degree in embodying in his sketches the spirit of the Author's subjects. In conclusion it has been the aim of the Publishers to render this new edition of a great work by a very gifted writer as perfect as possible and worthy of acceptance as a standard Anglo-Indian classic. LONDON September, 1910. CONTENTS PREFACE I. WITH THE VICEROY II. THE A.-D.-C.-IN-WAITING, AN ARRANGEMENT IN SCARLET AND GOLD III. WITH THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IV. WITH THE ARCHDEACON, A MAN OF BOTH WORLDS V. WITH THE SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT VI. H.E. THE BENGALI BABOO VII. WITH THE RAJA VIII. WITH THE POLITICAL AGENT, A MAN IN BUCKRAM IX. WITH THE COLLECTOR X. BABY IN PARTIBUS XI. THE RED CHUPRASSIE; OR, THE CORRUPT LICTOR XII. THE PLANTER; A FARMER PRINCE XIII. THE EURASIAN; A STUDY IN CHIARO-OSCURO XIV. THE VILLAGER XV. THE OLD COLONEL XVI. THE CIVIL SURGEON XVII. THE SHIKARRY XVIII. THE GRASS-WIDOW IN NEPHELOCOCCYGIA XIX. THE TRAVELLING M.P., THE BRITISH LION RAMPANT XX. MEM-SAHIB XXI. ALI BABA ALONE; THE LAST DAY * * * * * EXTRACTS FROM "SERIOUS REFLECTIONS AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS" BY "OUR POLITICAL ORPHAN" _Bombay Gazette Press_, 1881. THE TEAPOT SERIES: SOCIAL DISSECTION SAHIB THE GRYPHON'S ANABASIS THE ORPHAN'S GOOD RESOLUTIONS SOME OCCULT PHENOMENA * * * * * ELUCIDATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS: THE TRAVELLING M.P. THE A.D.C. IN WAITING THE ARCHDEACON THE BENGALI BABOO